The Game of Loops and Love
by MegaKiraraLover
Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame and makes a desperate wish to not have to leave Wonderland, but when granted, there's a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… KingVivaldi, Alice!Harem
1. Loop 0-0, The Wish

**The Game of Loops and Love**

Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame, forced to leave Wonderland if she hasn't bonded enough to the land and its inhabitants, and so makes a desperate wish to not have to leave. There is one Roleholder who can grant this wish, but when The Jabberwocky uses her powers, there's always a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… **King-X-Vivaldi ; Alice!Harem (including all guys from HNKNA/CNKNA/JNKNA except the King)**

Notes: Harem means more than one guy is sexually involved with our gal Alice. Also, in my harem fics (many of which will never see the light of day xD), the guys do end up "helping" each other if Alice isn't available or they're feeling particularly adventurous…just a quick warning for those who have delicate sensibilities~

_Loop Zero-Zero  
__The Wish_

"I-I can't," cried Alice, clutching the vial that once held everything then nothing but now held everything once more to her chest with a white-knuckled grip. "I can't! I don't want…want to leave!"

A voice echoed through her head, familiar, pained, a regular Nightmare: _"__Alice, you say the vial is almost full. Once it is, if you haven't bonded enough to Wonderland…you…have to leave. I'm sorry, Alice. It's the Rule. The Rule of the Endgame. Alice…I…I'm so, so sorry…"_

Great, shuddering sobs shook Alice's form as she collapsed to her knees. It was amazing how much she had grown to care about Wonderland in so short of time—a mere year of living there and suddenly, everyone was so important. They were her family, her friends, her new life…

"Don't make me go," Alice croaked through her tears. "Oh, please…I…I can't go back…to an empty home, an empty life…" Liquid sloshed in a pink-tinged container, long, opaque to show it was only drops from being completely full. "I-I wish. I wish I didn't have to leave!"

"Uh? You _wish_?"

Alice jerked in surprise at the unexpected, light, curious child's voice. She looked rapidly around her empty room in Clover Tower, the place she had stayed while the second half of her Game took place. "Wh-who's there?!"

"You can't see me?" the child's voice curiously asked. There was a confused pause before the voice laughed joyfully at itself. "Oh I'm so sorry! Hold on, I can fix that…"

The air before Alice shimmered before a small figure appeared. Standing there, no older than six, was a young and beautiful little girl. Her face was round and lovely with almond-shaped, bright green eyes sparkling over pouted lips and framed by long, waist-length, poison-green hair; she was clad in a steampunk dress an only slightly lighter shade than her hair, a black corset with black straps and white lace trim, long black boots up her knees with many buckles, her legs clad in black-and-white stockings and black gloves on her small hands.

The small child grinned, showing off bucked front teeth surrounded by much-too-sharp others, reminiscent of a shark. "Hello, Miss Outsider!"

Alice blinked rapidly, not recognizing the young girl who was obviously a Roleholder. "A-ah…who…?" she began only to be cut off by the child's gentle giggle.

"I'm sorry, we haven't met before!" she called, bounding between one foot and the other. A glint brought Alice's attention to a necklace that she hadn't noticed, that of an upside-down horseshoe on a long silver chain that hung all the way to the girl's navel. "My name's Madison Drake! It's nice to meet you, Miss Outsider!"

"I…my name is Alice," corrected the Player, reaching up and quickly wiping away her tears. "N-nice to m-meet you…"

Little Madison stopped hopping and frowned, reaching forward to poke Alice on her nose with one chubby finger. "You're not happy, Miss Alice. Everyone should be happy in Wonderland! What's wrong?"

Alice sniffled gently. "It's…n-nothing, Madison."

"Liar!" shouted Madison with a pout quivering her lower lip. "You're super sad! Why? Why aren't you happy, Miss Alice?!"

"A-ah!" Alice's gaze went wide in horror and she flailed a bit. "Don't cry! Don't cry!" Madison dropped her pout obediently and stared at Alice in wide-eyed curiosity. The Outsider sighed delicately and shook her head. "I…I'm just a slight…upset."

Madison frowned in serious consideration, her thin eyebrows drawing together. "Why are you sad in Wonderland? It's a Wonderful Wonder World!"

There was a moment of hesitation before Alice found herself spilling her story to little Madison in its entirety. She spoke of her early fear and confusion upon arriving, of her first—bad—impressions of most/all of the Ones with Duties and their ways. She spoke of her experiences in the first half of her Game, of how the Country of Hearts was mostly full of learning about the world and those within it. She spoke of the second half of her Game, of how she grew so very close to all of the Roleholders and became comfortable with calling them family.

She spoke of how each one touched her heart and gave her a purpose.

She spoke of how, "I just don't want to leave," said Alice, tearing up again, "because I love everyone, everything, everyplace here. It's…it's my home! I wish I never had to leave!"

"Do you really?" Madison softly asked, speaking for the first time since Alice's rant began. Blue eyes blinked rapidly and turned, uncomprehensive, onto deadly serious green. "Is that what you wish, Miss Alice? That you never have to leave?"

The words felt heavy in the air and Alice swallowed, somehow sensing that this question was worth so much more than it would seem at first glance. She had learned quickly to trust her gut in Wonderland. This answer…it would change everything.

"More than anything," Alice said with equal seriousness.

Madison stared at Alice, searching.

Alice stared back, unwavering.

And Madison's lips spread in a broad, mischievous smile. "Well, Miss Outsider," she nearly purred, "your wish…is my command~"

The world rippled, swayed. Alice's grip on her vial tightened before loosening; it fell, silently, only a drop away from being completely full and deciding her fate.

Neither Alice nor Madison were there to witness this fall. They were already far gone, in another place, in another time.

Alice fell down a rabbit hole, The White Rabbit and Prime Minister of Hearts Castle Peter White clutching her around her waist, looking far too cheerful.

The Game of Loops had begun.

_**-END-**_

MKL's Post-Production Notes (12-30-13): Not going to say much here since I'm posting the next/first chapter right away, other than this is a teaser of sorts. A setting of the stage, as a prologue is supposed to be. Please read the next chapter before deciding if it deserves your time or not :)


	2. Loop 14-1, Kiss of Memories

**The Game of Loops and Love**

Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame, forced to leave Wonderland if she hasn't bonded enough to the land and its inhabitants, and so makes a desperate wish to not have to leave. There is one Roleholder who can grant this wish, but when The Jabberwocky uses her powers, there's always a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… **King-X-Vivaldi ; Alice!Harem (including all guys from HNKNA/CNKNA/JNKNA except the King)**

Notes: Harem means more than one guy is sexually involved with our gal Alice. Also, in my harem fics (many of which will never see the light of day xD), the guys do end up "helping" each other if Alice isn't available or they're feeling particularly adventurous…just a quick warning for those who have delicate sensibilities~

_Loop Fourteen-One  
__Kiss of Memories_

_It__'__s that time again,_ sighed Alice as she stared at her almost-full vial, watching the liquid move and bubble. Just a few drops away from being full once more, it seemed to mock her with the promise of loss, her memories just as full.

She had become used to this pattern as time went on and back and on and back and on again. She began with only impressions, aside from the name of one person she had met but hadn't—her goal for that round, self-imposed, the first time by accident but each time after with purpose. She would be falling with Peter and end up lying in front/on top of Clock Tower Plaza and would make her way to the Territory—and the One with Duties—that she knew-but-didn't. She would go through her Game in that area, getting closer to that Roleholder and, as they became closer, remembering things that hadn't happened that round. Then, when her vial was just drops away from being completely full, she would remember everything from every Game she had played thus far…she would choose a new person to know, to care for, to become close to and study and love.

Then Alice would see Madison, smiling and giggling and waving, and she would be falling with Peter White down the Rabbit Hole anew.

"Are you having fun, Miss Alice?" Speak of the flame-eyed girl, and thus shall she appear with a smile and a giggle. "I've been watching you all this time! You really do like all of them, don't you? I'm so happy~ You seem so happy~"

"Madison," said Alice softly, a bit unhappily. "Hello. It's nice to speak with you again…"

Little Madison's grin fell into a concerned frown. "Miss Alice? You're so happy every time you play…why aren't you happy now?"

Alice couldn't help but smile faintly at the obvious concern radiating from her young companion. "I am very, _very_ happy each time I play." Madison began to beam again only to stop at Alice's sigh and next words. "But when it's over, and I reflect…I miss them even more." Thin arms clad in long and billowing sleeves wrapped around a small but firm chest and Alice exhaled again at the golden lizard insignias sewn into her favorite garment from the last Game she was in, a long blue-grey dress that matched Gray's favorite suit to perfection, gifted as a joke from Nightmare but treasured all the same. "I love them so much and learn so much about them, and then…they're ripped away and I force myself to move on to another…but now I have loved and been loved by them all.

"What's next?" she wondered aloud, not ignoring Madison but more speaking her thoughts in hopes to get the young child's opinion/help. "I couldn't stand to go to one a second time, only to lose them again…and if I chose none of them, then what happens? Does the cycle restart completely? Do I not remember any of the Games? What if I accidentally fall in love again, with any one? It would…I don't even know anymore, Madison." She sighed louder and her head drooped. "I can't bear to replace my memories of their love only to lose each one over again…"

"You just want to remember?" asked Madison with honest confusion. She smiled her brilliant buck-toothed smile. "I can do that, Miss Alice! All you had to do is ask!"

Alice's jaw abruptly dropped. "Wh-what?! You mean…seriously!?"

Madison giggled noisily, the sound like glass gears churning against each other. "Of course! After all, Miss Alice, I don't want you to be sad~ I love you too much!"

Thankfully Madison honestly didn't mean that in a romantic way. Alice still remembered how awkward it was with her Game alongside the Bloody Twins when half the time they were a solid ten years younger than her…she was many things, and had become many things throughout her various Games, but she was _not_ a pedophile. And unlike the Twins, Madison genuinely _was_ the age she looked and didn't change at all.

Madison's bright grin drooped and she tapped her chin with a chubby little finger. "But that doesn't help with the romance thing, huh, Miss Alice?" she mused aloud. "You love them all soooo much…it'd hurt if you remember and they never did…" The small girl fell silent before her eyes lit up and she let out a small shriek of joy. "Oh, I know! I know! I'll help them remember, too!"

"Really!?" cried out Alice, her heart lifting. Her family, her loves, remembering her…as she remembered them? Caring for her as they did before? Loving her so purely and genuinely caring for her happiness as she did theirs?!

As if sensing her thoughts Madison smiled, but it was a little sad. "I can try, Alice, but it'll be hard…I can set the trigger, but only _you_ can make them push it."

"What?" Alice blinked rapidly in confusion. "How…what?!"

Madison giggled. "You'll have to figure it out for yourseeeellllf~!" Alice sulked a bit and Madison giggled louder. "Hey, don't look so down! I've got juuuust enough power for one freebee!" Skipping, Madison made her way to Alice's side and gave the elder girl a large and somewhat wet kiss on the cheek. Alice jerked in surprise and grimaced at the spit now on her face; Madison outright laughed this time as she pranced back. "There you go! You get one freebee! Instead of having to trigger yourself, for one person, you just gotta kiss 'em," Madison slapped her cheeks and made an exaggerated smooching sound, "on the forehead! Then poof! They'll remember!"

"That's it?" asked Alice, incredulous.

"That's it! But only for one…the others'll take time and effort and lots and lots of luck~"

Alice beamed thankfully at her young friend. "Oh, Madison…thank you so much. You've made me the most happy since the first time I met you!"

Madison's hands rose to cover her giggle. "You're very welcome, Miss Alice! Just remember, that kiss'll only work once, on one person, so think carefully before you use it~!" The world promptly began to wobble familiarly and Madison gave a cheerful wave. "Buh-bye! Good luuuuuck!"

Alice fell down the rabbit hole, Peter White clutching her around the waist, looking far too cheerful. But this time was different. This time, Alice _remembered_.

Just in time to black out from the fall for the 15th time in her life.

"Dammit, Peter," groaned Alice when she woke, reaching up to rub at her forehead, "you _always_ drop me at the last moment…you big, fluffy jerk…"

Alice continued to grumble to herself for a bit before the reality of the situation hit her. Her bright blue eyes went wide in shock. "Oh, god," she breathed, shaking slightly as she looked around, "I…I _remember_…" She opened and closed her mouth a few times before smiling so joyfully she was sure everyone in Wonderland could feel her elation. "Oh, Madison, you beautiful girl! You're the best!"

There was no response, but Alice wasn't expecting one; she climbed to her feet and dusted off the dirt on her behind, grimacing at her dress in the process. In her many Games she had found many different styles to wear and try and like and hate…the dress she began in, the horrid blue thing that was a remnant from her old world, was probably her least favorite of the bunch. Not only was it nauseatingly childish, but it also represented the world she had abandoned for Wonderland, one that she didn't want to think of again except to occasionally remember and be thankful for her beautiful, wonderful "Sunday Afternoon."

Shaking her head, Alice quickly began to mutter to herself as she was wont to do. "I don't need to think about my fashion, I need to think about what I'm going to do first!" She reached up to touch the cheek that little Madison had kissed just before she began the Game again. "I only have one 'freebee', as Madison called it…so I only have one person to remember with no fuss. But who should I chose? Probably someone who was hardest to convince I loved and he could love back…"

Each Game, in case some have not yet caught on, Alice had chosen a different person to learn as much about as possible. These games all inevitably ended in love, true, deep love as Alice recognized and accepted all of these persons as they were and visa-versa. Some were easier than others—Peter White, of course, instantly accepted and recuperated her feelings and most of the time before they became lovers was with Alice trying to understand and eventually love him back—and those that were hard were truly hard—Boris, interestingly enough, had been so insecure it took almost three-fourths the time Alice was in that Game to establish a stable and trustworthy relationship between them…but who had been the hardest to woo…?

A flash of crimson and black. A cold smile and a dark scowl. Laughter and screams. A love that took almost a complete Game to give and gain. Yet at the end, it had been worth it for the most protective lover she could have possibly asked for, willing to lay everything on the line to keep his "beautiful, broken toy" safe and happy. Plus, he'd been one of her best physical lovers to date, which would be wonderful to help her unwind from the inevitable stress she was going to face to bring all of them back into her life.

"Well then," whispered Alice, smiling in delight as she started off into the forest around her, "to the Circus it is."

Watching from afar, Madison Drake let out a huff of a laugh and smiled indulgently at her dear Alice. That girl was something, to be sure. "But still," said Madison aloud, grinning saccharinely, "I can't let it be _too_ easy…I believe I know of at least one Roleholder who would _love_ to sink her frumious jaws into this…"

(In another Country, surrounded by snow and little else, a furry head rose and let out a guttural roar that could be felt across Realms. The Bandersnatch was hungry, and only flesh would sate it.)

_**Loops and Love**__**  
**_

The Circus was as breathtaking as Alice remembered. Colorful and bright, full of life and joy, it felt like coming home; of warmth and love and everything else she held dear. She breathed in the air around her and smiled so broadly she thought her face would break.

The only thing missing, she mused as she began to wander, was her favorite Jester/Warden. Where in Wonderland could he possibly be?

The big tent? No, just a few kids practicing their tightrope act (she pretended she didn't see one fall to the ground and break into bits as she left).

The animal cages? No, just the normal tigers and bears and elephants and bunnies (the last for the magic tricks, of course, and possibly for the nearby tigers to eat when they got hungry/bored).

The…personal tent of his? No, just clothes and a bed and a few spare whips and crops (_ecstasy and pain and ecstasy and pain and ecstasy and ohgodwhyhadntsheever whyhadshedoubted ohgoditwas absolutely _).

The Jail…?

"Excuse me, young miss," a familiar voice said with just the faintest hints of steel from over her shoulder, "but _who_ are you and _where_ are you going?"

Alice paused before entering the tent that hid the normal, non-Joker-aided passageway/staircase to the Jail and whirled on her heel. A wide smile pulled her lips as she recognized the form of her beloved Joker—specifically his Jester half, which she had nicknamed White so long ago. She had become so very embarrassed of that by the end of their time together but he had assured he found it endearing and then begun listing off humiliating nicknames for her that he could use amid gales of laughter from his Warden half, nicknamed Black, and her own bright red blush.

"Oh?" White blinked before his mouth stretched into a smile of his own that was part mocking and part amused, hiding the calculated malice deep within at the thought of a new piece he could "control". "A fresh Roleholder? Or, perhaps…?"

"I'm a Foreigner, actually," said Alice. She couldn't seem to stop smiling at her love, so familiar and so comfortable even though he clearly didn't know who she was. Yet. "My name is Alice Liddell. It's nice to meet you."

She curtsied and White quickly stooped into a bow with a doff of his jester cap, which jingled merrily as it moved. "Wonderful to meet you, as well, my dear! My name is Joker, and this is my Circus."

"It's a very beautiful circus." White positively preened at the praise and, stifling a giggle, Alice continued. "Will you show me around? Please? I'd love to see all you have!"

White laughed and patted her head gently, but condescendingly. "I'm afraid not, Miss Alice. That would ruin the fun for when the Circus truly begins!"

Alice made a show of pouting. "How sad," she lamented before allowing her eyes to gleam. "…Mr. Joker, I heard from the other 'Ones with Duties' that you like games, don't you?"

"Of course!" White exclaimed. "After all, games always seem to put a smile on people's faces, and that is the job of a Jester such as I~"

"What about…bets?"

White's gaze sharpened even though his smile didn't falter. "Oh? Do you wish to bet on something, Miss Alice? We have only just met!"

"Yes, I do," agreed Alice. "You see, I would _really_ love to see your circus in more detail, but you don't seem to want to show me…so why don't we play a game? If I win, you spend the day showing me around the circus. If you win…hmm." She put a hand to her lips. "Oh. I don't know if there's anything you would want…I didn't think this through, did I?"

"If you truly want to bet," purred White, "then I have a suggestion. If _I_ win, then you will do me the honor of staying within and helping around the Circus during your time here…assuming you don't already have a place to stay?"

Alice smiled. _Gotcha._ "No, not yet. That sounds like a perfectly fair bet to me, Mr. Joker."

White's eye shut to hide the pleased malice within it, even though Alice already knew it was there. "Well, then. What game did you have in mind, Miss Alice?"

"Blackjack." White's favorite card game and, sure enough, the Jester instantly agreed. "Alright. Where shall we play?"

"Right here," said White and with a sweep of his hand, a table and two chairs materialized in the middle of the path before the tent to the Jail. His favorite deck of cards appeared between slim fingers and he made a show of shuffling them. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Always," said Alice, her eyes hooded. White only paused an instant before dealing.

The game had begun.

…and subsequently ended with White looking stunned and almost horrified.

"I…how did you do that?" asked White, honestly taken aback. Alice smiled innocently as she tapped the perfect 21 sitting in front of her, the second win of three rounds as was agreed when first the cards were dealt.

"Lady Luck," said Alice, smiling wistfully, "seems to take a particular interest in my life…both good, and bad. I'm just glad that this time it was good." _And that I would have 'won' either way, so there was no way she/it could screw me over. For now__._

"**Seriously? You fuckin' lost?**" Black jeered through the mask at White's hip. Alice couldn't quite stifle her smile at the familiar voice, only slightly gruffer than White's and with a metallic tone from the mechanics/distance but just as familiar and comforting despite the constant cursing. "**Way to be a complete screw up, Joker!**"

"How rude, Joker," said White, finally shaking himself from his minor stupor to scold his other half. "I can't help the way the cards fall."

"Are you talking to yourself?" Alice asked with fake surprise. White blinked before turning to her and smiling.

"Ah, how rude of _me_! I didn't bother to explain! You see, as I am Joker…" He gestured to the mask. "…he is also Joker!"

"**Damn straight,**" huffed Black.

Alice couldn't help herself. She knew, from her Game with Joker, that the mask was directly connected to him in seeing, hearing…feeling. So with that in mind and before White could stop her, she crouched down and using the tip of her nail tapped the cheek of the mask. White jerked in surprise.

"**Ack! What the fuck—?!**"

"You've got a bad mouth, Other Joker," she scolded lightly even as she struggled to hide her laughter. "You shouldn't curse around a lady."

She tapped the mask a little more forcefully.

"**OW! Stop that! !**"

"Ah, Miss Alice, you should probably stop," White said even though he, too, was trying not to laugh. "I don't think Joker appreciates it much."

"'**Course I don't!**" spluttered Black. Alice poked him hard in the "forehead" one last time before giggling and standing amongst Black's annoyed curses.

"Fine," she said with a pout, "I'll stop. But he's very rude none-the-less." Her gaze turned a bit sly and nostalgic. "You should get him a muzzle."

"**I'LL SHOW YOU MUZZLE YOU CRAZY BI****—****MMPHMMRPH? ! ! ?**"

White laughed nervously as he covered the mouth of the mask. "Ah," he breathed, not moving his hand as Black continued to make loud noises and undoubtedly cursed Alice, her mother, her father, Alice, her non-existent brother, her friends, Alice, her sister (that one hurt a little to think about), her pets, Alice…and so on. "A-anyway, I promised you an escort around my Circus, didn't I?" He held out his free arm gentlemanly and gave a soft, genuine smile. "Please allow me to do so now."

Alice couldn't help but smile back at the familiar gesture and gently took his elbow in her small hands. He dwarfed her by a solid foot and was half-uncouth/half-insincere with strangers and considerably dangerous, but she knew him so very well and couldn't help but trust him. He was, under his prickly exterior, her darling Joker.

She simply needed an opening to show/remind him of that…

_**Loops and Love**_

Between White's proud commentary and explanations and Black's bitter/sarcastic remarks, Alice's day of being escorted around the Circus was relaxingly familiar. Now if only White would let her get close enough to finally kiss his forehead! The whole day, Alice kept an eye out for an opening, but as she remembered White was very physically reserved despite his open-seeming personality. Even her walking too close made him subtly move away and put space between them; the only thing he didn't object to was the hands on his arm and, even then, he didn't offer it again after she let go early on in the tour.

Honestly, the whole situation was getting _very_ irritating by the time it became a Night Period.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed White as he stopped midway through introducing Alice to the two large tigers—one a snowy white female, the other a traditionally colored male—he kept. "I didn't realize how long we'd been walking! You must be tired, my dear…" He looked over Alice with a smile and a glint of a plot developing in his eye. "I know you won our little bet, but would you object to staying here for the night? I simply couldn't allow such a lovely young woman to wander alone in the darkness."

Alice bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from smirking. "I don't know," she said, pretending to be nervous about the idea, "I mean, I don't even know you very well…"

"**Then know me better, slut~**" said Black with a slight purr to his voice. The world began to shutter, freezing Joker in place as he changed Realms, and Alice took her chance; without hesitation she reached forward to grip White by the back of his neck and yank him toward her. She tried hard not to notice his wide, anxious, angry stare and instead focused on his forehead.

Her lips touched his skin just as the world completely changed and Joker was free to look at her with murder in his eyes at the perceived attempt at harm.

Madison hadn't said the period of time Alice had to kiss her target's forehead before the magic took effect. The young Foreigner really, _really_ hoped it didn't take long—her eyelids were shut tight in preparation of Joker yanking her off of White, locking her in a cell, beating her and torturing her cruelly for daring to lay hands on him in any way that was even marginally threatening—

Sure enough, four hands grabbed her arms and moved her as predicted. But instead of being harsh, grabbing, yanking, instead they were gentle, soft, tugging. As soon as her lips left the smooth skin of White's forehead Alice cautiously peeked out from behind lidded eyes.

Joker was standing side-by-side, staring at her, looking confused and yet entranced. "_A_**l**_i_**c**_e_**?**" he asked at once, bewildered, his voices blending familiarly. The tension instantly drained from Alice and she gave him a brilliant smile while tears of relief began to cloud her vision.

"Black, White," she whispered before, a bit more forcefully, "_Joker_."

She was crushed back to White's chest in an instant, Black wrapping his arms around from behind so she was sandwiched between his two selves. The tears fell almost immediately when faced with the comforting embrace and she sobbed into the smooth grey material of White's shirt and red kerchief, reaching up to grab one of each half's arms and clutch them tightly. Thank _god_, it had _worked_…he was _here_…her Joker was _here_, with _her_, without the pressing of time swiftly ticking away…

She blubbered between sobs, crying out nonsense about how much she had missed him, about how lost she had felt, about how glad she was that it had worked. Lightly, a large hand that was only faintly calloused from gripping whips and practicing tricks ran through her hair, both sides of Joker quiet as he simply let her vent.

Alice remembered—a hysterical laugh bubbled in her throat—she remembered when she had first broken down around Joker. It had been while in the Prison, shortly after one of the inmates somehow got free of his cell and was inches away from raping her. Her dress had been scrunched up, the inmate had his pants down and was literally just about to yank her underwear away as she screamed and cried. The Warden had left less than ten minutes before, claiming a lunch break, and she hadn't expected him to be back for quite a while yet…

Yet Black had shown up, a metaphorical black-knight in tarnished armor, yanking the _thing_ off her and snapping the inmate's neck in the process. Alice had found herself unable to care, too busy crying in continued fear mingled with new relief; Black had flailed around for a while, unsure, trying to figure out what to do about her. Eventually he had thrown up his hands in defeat and yanked down her skirt to its proper place before giving her the single most awkward, stiff hug of her life (possibly excepting her first hugs with Julius in various Games).

That had been one of the first major stepping stones in their relationship and despite the horrid circumstances, Alice was thankful that this inmate had been such a horrible perverted pig.

Eventually Alice calmed down enough that Joker felt able to gently move so she was staring into White's confused expression.

"Alice," he muttered, "what's going on?"

"Seriously," added Black, appearing in her peripheral vision, brows drawn together. As usual he gave off an air of anger in the face of confusion. "What the fuck. Last thing I remember, you were crying over your damn vial, then,"

"You just disappeared." Black's grip on her tightened from behind at the thought and White's long fingers reached up to tenderly touch her cheek as if to reassure she was there. "And then…you're kissing my forehead, and I've never met you before today."

"It's a long story," Alice said softly, still sniffling while White indulgently wiped away what evidence remained of her weeping from her face. She couldn't help but grimace and blush once she noticed a nice-sized spot of tears and snot on the front of his shirt. Oh, how embarrassing…

"We have time," said White with a faint smile. Alice barely hesitated another moment before launching into an explanation.

She thought it would be awkward, to admit to one of her lovers that she had focused on and taken others during her many Games. It wasn't that she was ashamed—how could she be ashamed of her heart?—but rather that it was certainly a strange situation, even for her. Add in the unpredictable nature of most of her loves and suddenly Alice was lost in a world of emotions and reactions that could probably get pretty violent (and was practically guaranteed for some of them, such as Peter and the surprisingly-ish possessive Gray), not to mention the inevitable jealousy from many (Blood still had a habit of accusing her of being a two-timing slut when he was insecure and Boris was self-doubting _all the time_ so this probably wouldn't help) and the possible anger at her (why did she think of Pierce of all people?!).

Yet White's face remained steady before her the whole time through. His gaze flickered in occasional annoyance or anger, but for the most part he simply watched her and offered a slight, reassuring smile when she was particularly uncomfortable or insecure. Black was flexing his arms whenever he was unhappy with something but also kept uncharacteristically silent until:

"So you're sayin'," he finally said at the end, voice dropping an octave, "that we've gotta _share_ you now?" White grimaced and Alice hurriedly glanced away, careful not to look at either half of Joker. He easily read her answer by this simple action. "Fuckin' shit—!"

"Now, Joker," said White reproachfully, "calm down. Alice clearly does care for them all deeply and is not the type to simply abandon us for one of the others. If this is what she wants, and she can guarantee not to leave us, I don't see why we should stop her happiness." Blue orbs jerked up to look at red with gratitude but Alice faltered somewhat at the dangerous promising gleam in White's eye. "However, we _do_ have a while until any others join us…"

The hair on Alice's neck stood on end and she shivered violently while Joker let out twin dark laughs full of promise.

Hours later as Alice laid in bed with her Jokers on either side, White stretched out beside her with an arm slung over her naked breasts and Black curled around her hip with his head on her chest that shook with his faint huffing snores, she let a content smile curl her kissed-red lips.

It was truly nice to be home.

_**-END-**_

MKL's Post-Production Notes (12-30-13): Phew! And there you have the first chapter, ending on a beautifully steamy note~ ;) I chose Joker to "revive"/"remind" first for the same reasons Alice mentioned, namely what a pain in the ass he'd be if she didn't use the freebee. It was her logical progression of thoughts...as well as mine-for my own sake as much as hers, haha. Joker would totally get in the way on purpose if he didn't have this direct tie to Alice and I don't need an antagonist other than the ones I have planned thankyouverymuch!

I'm sure some of you are curious as to where this idea came from, and the answer is that I've always been a fan of harem fics, and the no Kuni no Alice series is perfect grounds for one...yet no one seems to have thought of doing it yet! I mean, sure, we've got two or three guys with Alice at a time...but I haven't seen ALL of them yet! So here you go~ For my enjoyment and yours~

If you have any ideas, feel free to share! I already have much of the story planned out but could always use smaller scenes/plotpoints to go between the guys being "revived" and space it out a bit. Also, I love hearing my readers' predictions, so share those as well! Until next time, everyone~ ^w^


	3. Loop 14-2, Contact High

**The Game of Loops and Love**

Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame, forced to leave Wonderland if she hasn't bonded enough to the land and its inhabitants, and so makes a desperate wish to not have to leave. There is one Roleholder who can grant this wish, but when The Jabberwocky uses her powers, there's always a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… **King-X-Vivaldi ; Alice!Harem (including all guys from HNKNA/CNKNA/JNKNA except the King)**

Notes: Harem means more than one guy is sexually involved with our gal Alice. Also, in my harem fics (many of which will never see the light of day xD), the guys do end up "helping" each other if Alice isn't available or they're feeling particularly adventurous…just a quick warning for those who have delicate sensibilities~

QUICK NOTE: As you may have guessed already, this will be pushing the boundaries of the "T" rating _very_ closely; really the only reason why I haven't made it "M" is because there's no explicit sex or gruesome murder (_yet?_). If you feel I've surpassed them let me know and I'll be happy to change it accordingly.

_Loop Fourteen-Two  
__Contact High_

"There is a part of this that confuses me," said White mildly the next morning as he half-sat, half-sprawled next to Alice on their bed, tracing small patterns on her hip with one of his long fingers. Alice gave a questioning hum yet didn't pause from running her own hands through Black's hair, his head resting in her lap and the rest of his body still possessively curled around her as it had been for much of the night.

"Just part?" the Warden snorted in amusement, cracking open his eye and rolling it lazily toward his other half. He was too busy enjoying Alice's soothing ministrations to make any further movements.

The Jester chuckled. "Well, many things, but one bit troubles me above the others."

"What would that be?" Alice delicately asked, looking at the more reserved half of her Joker. He frowned a fraction and slowed his circling of the splotchy birthmark along Alice's right hipbone.

"This 'Madison Drake' character. I have never heard of a Roleholder with that name before, nor with the power to make 'wishes' come true."

Alice couldn't help but jerk slightly in surprise, earning a hiss from Black when she pulled his hair. She knew that, as the Prison Warden, Joker knew every Rule and Role there was to be had in the Game, and the only one who even came close to that same amount of knowledge was Nightmare as both the Caterpillar and the oldest of the Ones with Duties. If Joker didn't know Madison or what Role would have such reality-bending powers…then…_who_ and _what_ **was** Madison?

Noting her distress, White quietly shushed her and leaned over to give her cheek a single chaste kiss. "It's alright, Alice," he said gently. "It sounds as if she's no threat to you, if nothing else."

"And if she is," added Black with a narrowed gaze, finally sitting up to stare at Alice from her other side, "then

I'll fuckin' kill the whore before she can touch you."

Unable to help herself, Alice let out a soft laugh, earning an indignant glare from Black. She soothed him with a hug. "Thank you," said she with a smile. A faint bit of red crossed Black's nose and he grumbled, but didn't pull away; White smiled mockingly at his other half even as he held his tongue. He was enjoying the hug, too, after all.

A few minutes later, when they were out of bed and dressed for the day: "You need an idea of attack, Alice," White announced casually, both halves' lips curled with satisfied smirks at the way Alice winced every so often while wandering around the kitchen and making breakfast. Alice, herself, simply rolled her eyes and smiled at her lover when she saw the twin expressions.

"What're the plans?" Black asked, leaning back on the back two legs of his chair.

"Well," Alice began, thoughtful, as she flipped a pancake in the single clean pan she'd managed to find in Joker's mess of a kitchen (it had taken her literal _days_ in their Game to organize and clean everything and now she had to do it AGAIN!), "there are a few ways I could go, I guess…

"I could go through Territory-by-Territory and 'trigger' them one at a time," she ticked off a finger, watching her pancakes sizzle away with a glazed gaze, "but everyone wanders so much it would probably be just a waste of time and patience since I'd force myself to stay in one Territory until I was done, no matter how long it took…" Another finger ticked up. "I could go in order judging by how long it took for us to get together in each Game, either easiest to hardest or vice-versa, but then I'd be jumping all over the place, which is almost as bad." Yet another finger ticked, this time with a roll of her eyes. "I could just stay here with you two and enjoy myself."

"I like that one," purred Black, wagging an eyebrow in an exaggerated 'attempt' at 'seduction'. Alice giggled and shoved him slightly.

"You would, you horny jerk."

"But you love that about me, slut~"

"Well!—"

"Alice, love, your pancakes," White interrupted gently. With a blink Alice turned before letting out a shriek of surprise at the sight of her now-burning pancakes, rushing around to try and salvage the meal. She huffed in annoyance when it turned out about half of them were totally ruined beyond repair.

"This looks like something Gray would make," she grumbled, poking at a black-charred mound of what was supposed to be delicious food. Her heart tugged at the thought. Gray…she had just left him there not even two time periods ago, running to her room, locking the door as her memories flooded back. Her poor, poor Lizard...he had probably been so confused…would probably _be_ so confused…

She had left all of her lovers in a similar way. As soon as she remembered she was stuck in a loop, she had run away and locked herself up to mourn and think in peace—with the exception of her first re-play of the Game, ironically spent with the one who had told her the words that set this whole thing in motion. _The Rule of the Endgame_.

"I'm going to start with Nightmare."

"The worm?" sneered Black, looking a bit disgusted at the thought. White elbowed his other half sharply in the side, coincidentally (although it was likely not at all happenstance) where there was a large bruise from the activities of the night before, and Black swore loudly. Alice ignored the byplay with practiced ease.

"I think he would be the next easiest to trigger, besides my 'freebee'," said Alice by way of explanation. "I mean…he can read minds. When he reads mine he'll be forced to acknowledge what happened. It's not like I can hide my emotions from him or anything. At least, not without—"

Red crept up Alice's neck as she cut herself off. Both Jokers stared, blank, without comprehension. "Nevermind," she squeaked quickly.

"No, I think I want to hear this," White said slowly. His eye glittered in warning. _"__What_ would you have to do to hide your emotions from The Caterpillar?"

For a few moments Alice stayed silent before, face still incredibly scarlet, she whispered, "I would…have to let him feed from me."

Black snorted and sarcastically asked, "What, is he a fuckin' vampire now?"

A blink of honest surprise accompanied Alice's fading blush. "You don't know?"

"Know what?" asked White, eye now narrowing. The Outsider squirmed in her seat.

"Nightmare is an incubus," she expounded carefully. She _really_ hated to explain this…it sounded so _wrong_ out of context… "He, um, basically lives by eating dreams…of a specific kind…"

Neither side of Joker comprehended exactly what was wrong with that, clearly. "So, what, he eats nightmares?" prodded Black. Alice's face once more lit up with heat and it was White who soon realized what she really meant.

"How, exactly, does he 'eat' those dreams?" the more sadistic half of Joker asked with what to most would sound like gentleness, but Alice knew him well enough to recognize it was the start of deep malice.

"By…participating," she said awkwardly. Black had, by this point, been given the answer by his other half and his expression was stormy.

"So he's raping women in their dreams _and_ cheating on you?!" snarled The Warden with disgust, standing so abruptly his chair went flying away from the table with a loud clatter.

"NO!" Alice shouted without pause, eager to defend the sickly incubus. Black recoiled at her sudden anger as she panted from the force behind her shout, glaring warningly at her lover(s). "Nightmare would _never_! He refuses to force himself upon others without permission, dream or not! It's…" Alice slumped and sighed gustily. "Conclusions like that…it's why he's so sick all the time. He doesn't advertise what he is and the few he does tell don't understand and aren't willing to let him do anything, which makes sense, but…"

"That means his options are non-existent," White mused. He still looked more than a little pissed off but at least it was manageable now, thought Alice with a shudder at what he would have done had she not been able to explain. Joker was far from the epitome of kind but even he had his limits; while rape (much like murder) wasn't against the Rules, Joker had been known to fish up some other minor violations that were usually ignored to get assailants in the Jail and thus under his jurisdiction…

Alice shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts. "Anyway, I'm going to have to get a hold of him, so after breakfast is done I'm heading back to bed for a bit. I think I'm tired enough to fall asleep quickly, and hopefully not so tired I won't dream."

Still looking wary, Joker frowned, but remained silent as Black slowly righted his chair and sank back into it. Alice smiled faintly at him. "I'm not mad," she muttered aloud while turning back to her breakfast attempts. She could hear Black snort noisily, but at the same time, both bodies visibly lost tension at the assurance. "So, let's try this again. Don't distract me this time!"

"Don't be so easy to distract," said Black with a taunting smirk that betrayed nothing of the earlier tension.

Instantly the two began bickering/flirting again, the White half of Joker exhaling in fond amusement and making sure to keep an eye on the pancakes. _Someone_ had to be mature around here…

"I HEARD THAT, JOKER!"

White simply smiled in response.

_**Loops and Love**_

The Realm of Dreams was a place that Alice had found herself visiting often, no matter which Game she partook in. Nightmare Gottschalk, The Caterpillar, The Leader of the Realm of Dreams had been the one to "connect" her to Wonderland and always kept a vested interest in her understanding of the world and well-being, doing things horrible and wonderful to make her happy but never outright lying or purposely causing her wrong. He was her confidant, her protector, her guardian…

He was also ridiculously stubborn and didn't always understand that Alice needed to be hurt to grow or could take care of herself, which lead to some pretty ridiculous and unnecessary situations.

"He's _very_ lucky he's adorable and sick all the time," huffed Alice aloud as she wandered through the Realm of Dreams, admiring the shapes the pastel-colored smoke made around her, "or else I'd have to strike him WAY more often than I already do."

"I'm sorry, have we…_met_ before?"

Alice whirled on her heel to see Nightmare in all his Dream Realm glory, a bemused smile on his visage as he floated about a foot above the "ground". She couldn't help but laugh at his obvious confusion, obviously having overheard her thoughts and emotions.

"In a way," she said, trying to mimic the "mysterious dream demon" gimmick that he so loved. Nightmare blinked rapidly.

"You confuse me," he admitted, "and we haven't even spoken yet."

A bright smile crossed Alice's face. "Payback is a bitch, Nightmare~"

Again, Nightmare blinked rapidly, but before he could ask what she meant Alice decided she'd had enough of playing around; while it was fun, she missed her best friend _very_ much. Old half-remembered lessons from her first redo of the Game helped her to pull at her memories and thrust them to the forefront of her mind, starting with what she thought would be the obvious trigger, their first kiss (_ImsorryIcantdomoreAlice - youdidmorethanenoughthankyousomuch - Alice?whyareyou_).

Nightmare went a little wide-eyed, a faint blush along his nose. "Ah, Alice, that's…er…how very…I'm flattered…that is…" Dammit! Alice was looking for _remembering_, not _flustered_! "Remember…? What do you…" Okay, what about the first time they met, echoed almost exactly in every Game? "Every—?" (_amIdreamingagainIwasalreadyinadream - yourerightaboutthat - whosthere - helloImNightmareImadreamdemontheembodimentofbaddreams - dreamdemon?Iguesstheweirdoparadecontinuesthis dreamisreallypackedwithcuteboys - cute?dream?hahafineyoucanthinkofitthatway_) "When did that…" Argh! Okay, okay, um. First time having sex? "WHAT?!" (_no?youdontwantthis?Alicelovedont sendmemixedsignalsifyouwantmeto stopsaynobutifyouwantmorethenby theDealerscream_yes_! – IiIwant – IunderstanddontworryAliceyoubarelyevenhavetothink aboutwhatitisyouwishandIwillhear youIwillgladlydoallIcantopleaseyouIpromiseyoullenjoy - ahohNightmareahnnahIImore_)

The single silvery eye of Alice's dear dream-demon looked so wide it was ready to pop out of his head, jaw hanging open unattractively, but Alice just became even _more_ frustrated. Why wasn't this working!? It should have been _easy_, dammit, he could read _minds_! FINE! She'd throw out there _everything_! SOME part had to trigger a reaction!

The memories flipped by faster as she didn't have to think about a specific one in such detail, trusting her mind to flip through them as she went through her mental timeline. She breezed through her first Game without any sign of him remembering, just looking more worried/incredulous, but as she started in on their own Game he finally—_finally_—reacted as Joker had told her he would as based upon The Warden/Jester's own experience: Nightmare's shock slackened into a neutral expression, whole body relaxing completely to the point where he touched the "ground" without seeming to realize it, his only visible eye glazing as he was lost in memories. Alice instantly cut the forceful push of her thoughts and the stream of memories, watching with a strange sort of hesitance as Nightmare stared at something she couldn't exactly see.

As opposed to the seconds it took Joker to remember everything, it took Nightmare almost a full two minutes before he snapped out of his own mind. He blinked slowly and looked around, as if not quite sure where he was, then suddenly his face paled and he collapsed to his knees, coughing dryly. All too soon, however, the coughing brought more than choked air, blood beginning to dot the "floor" while he literally choked on his own emotions and power. Or, in the case of the latter, lack thereof.

"Nightmare!" shouted Alice, alarmed, quickly darting to his side and dropping to kneel in front of him. She reached out a hand but stopped just short of touching his shoulder while mentally cursing at herself for her impatience. She'd said it earlier, hadn't she?! He hadn't fed in years! _Decades_! ! The shock of her forcing thoughts upon him, the sudden influx of emotions and memories could…could maybe…Alice, herself, felt sick.

It took ages for Nightmare to finally calm down, head lowered as silvery hair hid his expression, breathing harsh and loud in the echoing silence. There was an unnerving amount of blood speckled on his legs and puddled between them on the 'floor'. "N…Nightmare?" Alice hesitantly called, still with her hand outstretched.

The incubus continued to huff and struggled to even raise his head. At first all Alice could see was his glittering silver eye, but then he finally lifted his head enough that she could see the weak smirk curling his bloody lips. "So f-forceful," he wheezed, "my A-Alice is." Alice instantly sagged in relief. If he was already making quips, then he was going to be fine. "It's s-strange to hear your th-thoughts, my l-love…b-but not at th-the s-same time."

"Yes," she said with a soft sigh, smiling at Nightmare feebly, "it's a bit disorienting, at first. You eventually get used to it."

Nightmare gave a strangled laugh. "Let's h-hope I don't have t-to, hm?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd…rather not do this to you again."

"You n-needn't be s-sorry, Alice, l-love," Nightmare rasped, recovering enough to reach over and grab her limp hand in his own shaking one. He grinned beyond his exhaustion, piercing through her guilty thoughts and emotions with ease. "I'd d-do it as many t-times as I must f-for you. It's w-worth it."

Alice couldn't quite stop her smile from solidifying at the reassurance and she scooted closer, hesitating only to squeak in surprise when Nightmare easily yanked her into his lap despite being nowhere near recovered from his episode. His face buried in her shoulder and he simply breathed in her scent; she relaxed in return and reached around to hug him gently, one hand running through his hair.

The Dream Realm was silent for quite some time as the two basked in each other's presence, Nightmare sorting through his new/restored memories and Alice content with simply holding her first Wonderland love. Soon the incubus sighed and kissed her collarbone before pulling back, revealing the normal mischievous and all-knowing half-smirk he always seemed to wear in his world.

"So," he said, his voice still hoarse but noticeably stronger, "I _would_ ask how you managed to wrap so many Ones with Duties around your pretty little finger, but unfortunately I am _quite_ aware."

"That's more than I can say," laughed Alice, unable to stop herself from beaming. "I STILL have no idea how half of them happened!"

Nightmare's expression softened and he leaned forward, resting his forehead against hers so all she could see was the silver of his eye and the black of his patch. "Everyone loves an Outsider, Alice, especially one as beautiful and kind as you."

A blush arose to Alice's cheeks, but she was no longer the insecure young girl she was once, so instead of denying and/or fishing for compliments she instead carefully changed the subject. "So you remember every Game, then? Not just ours?"

"The others are a little fuzzy," Nightmare admitted, idly twirling a lock of her hair between his fingers although the gaze did not move from her own, "but essentially, yes. Anything pertaining to you from the…oh, my." He blinked. "Fourteen Games, Alice?"

"Including the first, yes," Alice said with a sigh that was half bashful and half sorrowful. "The 'introduction', then one for each of my loves, and now this one."

Thin eyebrows furrowed as Nightmare thought. "You've met roughly thirteen Roleholders, Alice, fourteen if we count the Bloody Twins as two separate ones."

She smiled. "Fifteen. You're forgetting the King."

"Doesn't everyone?" teased Nightmare. Alice had to stifle laughter at the old joke but the incubus smirked all the same, knowing from her emotions and thoughts that she had been amused and content with that as he pulled back enough to observe her whole face.

"Anyway, yes, but not everyone was separate per se. One of those Games was spent with Vivaldi, whom I love, but not quite in that way—I spent that one getting her and the King together, if you recall," she said conspiratorially; Nightmare chuckled at the memories and nodded, "—and the twins were one Game, too, since they share literally _everything_…" She turned a little red but Nightmare simply quirked a brow, reminding Alice he'd not only lived through this (sort of) but also saw everyone's thoughts and dreams pretty regularly, even if he sometimes didn't want to. "But, yes. That works out to thirteen Games, each with a different person and a different focus and ending."

There was a pause. "…that sounds like one of those choose-your-own-adventure stories, not real life."

"I know, right!?"

Another, longer pause.

"Anyway," Nightmare interrupted their collective thoughts with a shake of his own head, stretching a bit to get out the kinks developing in his back from his awkward hunched position around Alice, "what I was going to ask was how, exactly, you got here from the last time I saw you. Your thoughts suddenly became chaotic around lunchtime, you ran off, an hour later you disappeared, and then in a few minutes everything just sort of…stopped." He grimaced. "It was rather unnerving."

Carefully, Alice began her tale, working her way through what happened directly after the first Game before jumping ahead to the end of the last. Nightmare frowned sharply upon the mention of Joker but thankfully kept his mouth shut; Alice was not in the mood to defend someone who could eventually defend himself for the third time that morning _alone_.

When she finished with the side note that Joker was working while they spoke, Alice finally fell silent, studying the face of her first lover. His brow was heavily creased and his lips were a grim line, conflict in his single visible eye.

"Do you know something, Nightmare?" asked Alice quietly. The incubus glanced down then up then down again before finally his gaze re-settled on her face.

"Madison Drake," he said slowly, almost as if testing how the moniker sounded before he continued, "I…vaguely recall hearing that name before. If I remember right, her role is that of The Jabberwocky, with the power to grant wishes—just not always in the way that's expected. She…disappeared for some reason shortly before I took over as The Caterpillar." He paused to collect his thoughts, gaze rising as he struggled to remember anything else before he let out a gusty sigh and shrugged. "I don't know anything more, Alice. I'm sorry."

_Well, it was worth a shot,_ sighed Alice mentally, ignoring Nightmare's sheepish smile as he undoubtedly overheard her thoughts. Aloud she said, "Thanks anyway, Nightmare. That's more information than I had before at least. The Jabberwocky, huh?" She couldn't help but shiver. "Such a scary title for such an adorable little girl…or, well, not so little if she's _your_ elder, I guess."

"Hey!" Nightmare looked suitably offended, although his eye sparkled with amusement. "I'm not _that_ old!"

Alice couldn't help but giggle. "SURE you're not! Everyone makes fun of Gowland for being 'ancient,' but _you're_ the one going grey, old man!"

"I'll show you 'old man'," breathed Nightmare, half-joking and half-promising as his Realm slowly shifted. A familiar room materialized out of the dream mist around them and Alice shivered once more, although not for anything close to the same reason as earlier. She looped her arms around Nightmare's neck as he climbed to his feet, holding her close to his chest and staring at her face with blatant _hunger_.

"I just finished a wonderful night of hot sex from two _very_ able bodies," she purred, teasing, making Nightmare subconsciously begin to growl as she knew he would, "but I suppose I could indulge you for a while…_if_ you can keep up."

A shriek of surprise and joy escaped Alice when she was unceremoniously tossed onto the bed, Nightmare shoving her legs apart to sit between them so he had better access to biting and sucking on her face and neck. His pupil was blown with lust as he yanked off their clothes viciously, Alice already panting and hot and ready for him, _Hurry, please, need this, need you here there oh _Nightmare

By the time she left the Dream Realm, the Time Period had changed so the noon sun was shining on Alice's entirely too self-satisfied face.

_**-END-**_

MKL's Post-Production Notes (1-8-14): Ah, Nightmare, you steamy incubus you~ Two character intros ending in implied sex? I'm such a naughty girl~ ;3 Lol, but for real, guys, that won't happen so suddenly after a revival after this, since Alice and the men (excepting a handful of them) DO have a bit of self-control. Only a smidgen, 'though, so brace yourselves ;)

As you may have noticed, I've taken some liberties with Nightmare's self-proclaimed "incubus" status. For instance, in the games, he's just a sickly man without any particular cause/reason (as far as we know), but "real" incubi and succubi- -their female counterpart- -truly do survive off the sexual desires and emissions of their partners. It made sense to me that this may have some sway in why he's always sick, and it's in my head-canon pretty firmly and has never quite dislodged since the first time I saw his introduction (I'm a mythology buff so I knew right away what being an incubus entailed, earning some pretty fun mental images that have sadly never quite come to pass in canon, mwah... :'C). As for his connection with Alice, referenced here in her conversation with Joker and very briefly by Nightmare after his "revival"/reminder...well, more detail will be given in the coming chapters. Patience is a virtue, my friendlies! :D

I'm still looking for ideas for between-revivals, people! It could be scenes you want before/after a particular character is "revived"/reminded, situations you think would be fun with groups of characters, canon scenarios you'd particularly like to see re-done with this new and more mature and knowledgeable Alice, or anything else you can think of! Let me know, along with what you believe will happen next! Until next time, everyone~ ^w^


	4. Loop 14-3, Three Leaves of Clover

**The Game of Loops and Love**

Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame, forced to leave Wonderland if she hasn't bonded enough to the land and its inhabitants, and so makes a desperate wish to not have to leave. There is one Roleholder who can grant this wish, but when The Jabberwocky uses her powers, there's always a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… **King-X-Vivaldi ; Alice!Harem (including all guys from HNKNA/CNKNA/JNKNA except the King)**

Notes: Harem means more than one guy is sexually involved with our gal Alice. Also, in my harem fics (many of which will never see the light of day xD), the guys do end up "helping" each other if Alice isn't available or they're feeling particularly adventurous…just a quick warning for those who have delicate sensibilities~

_Loop Fourteen-Three  
__Three Leaves of Clover_

"An emergency Meeting?" asked White with a blink of honest confusion, looking down at the small clown child that had appeared at his tent and loudly requested for an audience with him. Having started her cleaning of Joker's kitchen after her…_enlightening_ dream with Nightmare, Alice paused and leaned unconsciously toward the doorway, attention caught by the conversation.

"Yes, Mr. Joker!" the little girl chirped so happily that it was almost easy to forget that she was once one of the inmates at the Prison, the same as all others who worked for the Circus. (_Trading one set of chains for another,_ she remembered Elliot sneering during their Game while describing the Toys, vehemently denying that he would have ever done such had Blood not broken him out even while his eyes glittered uneasily with an air of half-truths…) "One of the Castle Soldiers came down to tell me to tell ya and everything! He said that it's a meeting for all the 'Ones with Duties' that're around, and it's gunna be at the Hall at Clock Tower during the next Evening Time Period!"

Alice blinked rapidly. _Clock_ Tower? She could hear White echoing her confusion, and with good reason: April Season only happened when the Game was in Clover, which didn't have _Clock_ Tower, but **Clover** Tower. And the Hall was another discrepancy—Clock Tower only had three real _rooms_, Julius' room and workroom and the kitchen/dining room, with the rest being closets or bathrooms or spacious areas that were completely filled with strangely placed gears and such. This whole situation was so very bizarre on so many levels…what was going on…?

"It's got something to do with the sudden Move, Mr. Joker!" Alice could hear the little girl literally bouncing around from foot to foot, probably tumbling or something between steps as the performers were wont to do. "The one that happened the same day your Foreigner showed up!"

"Ah, I see," White said quietly, "well then. Thank you for the information, little one, but it's time to go back to your practice, now."

"Yessir, Mr. Joker~!"

There was a patter of small feet as the young clown skipped off.

"Wonderland had a Move when I showed up?" Alice asked as soon as White wandered into the kitchen, crimson gaze thoughtful and glazed. The Jester jolted slightly in surprise before turning as a reflexive smile coming to his face.

"Yes, there was," said White, eye wandering over the many piles of things Alice had dragged out from the depths of his cabinets with an amused air (considering the fact that his kitchen was barely large enough to hold the 'fridge, stove/oven, microwave, a handful of cabinets, and a small table with only two chairs, as well as the fact that neither Joker could cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs, it was amazing how many supplies he had managed to accumulate over the years…), "directly after you returned I would imagine. If you remember, during your original Game and many of the others, you began in Heart Country; but a few times—including the Game where you were with I—you began in Clover Country. If I'm not mistaken, it seems to have been based on who you were 'focused' on, although I will admit some of my memories are…fuzzy."

It was clearly painful for White to suggest any weakness, a grimace replacing his smile on the last word, but Alice knew better than to draw attention to it. Instead she nodded and casually continued the conversation as though she hadn't noticed. "Will I be coming along? To the Meeting?"

"**Were ya not planning on it?**" Black's voice called through the mask, sounding so honestly bewildered Alice couldn't quite smother her smile.

"I'm not naïve, Joker," she said gently, biting her tongue when Black let out a scoffing laugh before being shushed by White. "I know perfectly well that the others don't…_appreciate_ you, much."

"**They fucking 'appreciate' me fine when I'm taking out the asses that steal from their property and shit!**"

Alice ignored the interjection with practiced ease. "They'll probably be upset if they learn I'm staying with you for any length of time, even if I end up moving out—"

"You're leaving?" interrupted White this time, looking bemused at the thought.

There was a pause while Alice carefully collected her thoughts. "I'd rather not," she admitted, slowly. "Other than maybe Clock and Clover Tower, the Circus-Prison is where I feel safest and most comfortable." (She could practically see Joker's ego growing at the compliment to his Territory and Realm…_Alpha-males, pfft, they're all the same; Nightmare and Julius both became ridiculously pleased when I said as much to them in their Games, too__._) "But if someone is being particularly tricky, I may have to live in the Territory for at least a while to make sure I spend enough time to get their memories returned. And anyway…"

Her words drifted off awkwardly and Alice glanced away, rubbing slowly at one bare arm as she cleared her throat. "I…it may cause less trouble for you if I pretend I was wandering around these past two Time Periods instead of staying here. Maybe I could show up just as the meeting is let out. If I didn't, you would easily be blamed or accused of 'kidnapping' or 'brainwashing' me or, worse, get dragged into the War between the Territories. That would make it even harder for your workers and especially _you_ to even leave your Territory than it is normally because someone would be even _more_ likely to attack you or the Circus or try a breakout or something the minute you did—"

A long-fingered hand gently rested over her mouth and Alice blinked in surprise, lifting her gaze (when had she lowered it?) to rest on White's smiling face. "Alice," he said, almost tenderly, "my beautiful, broken toy. You're so selfless, it makes me sick."

Although he didn't quite mean it as such, from the Jester, that was almost a compliment.

"**You think we give a shit about what those losers think?**" scoffed Black from the mask, a muffled shout in the background suggesting the only reason why he hadn't shown up was because of some prisoner being an idiot. "**You're dreaming, slut.**"

"I would love to parade you around, no matter the consequences," White took over smoothly. His lips were quirked to the point that his smile almost looked painfully wide. "I have no worry about myself or the others in the Territory. You are _**m**__i__**n**__e_," Black's voice overlapped familiarly with White's to emphasize their agreement, "and as the most precious of _**m**__y_ toys, your well-being is top priority. What _you_ want is placed above anything else except for what _I_ do, and in this case, it is for you to be comfortable.

"Ignore those other people, dearest Alice," he soothed, cupping her face in his long-fingered hands and tilting her head so she was forced to look him in the eye, "ignore the consequences for me, and tell me what _you_ feel comfortable with, what it is _you_ want to do. Do you want to stay here? Or would you rather stay somewhere else?"

Alice didn't doubt the truth of her lover's words and hesitated, thinking, wondering…deciding…

What _would_ she rather do…?

_**Loops and Love**_

Walking alone up to Clock Tower Plaza, tugging gently at the hem of the red and black cardsuit-themed dress* Joker had gifted her with before she left, Alice sighed heavily and wondered for the hundredth time whether she made the right decision. Joker hadn't been particularly offended, at least, although Black grumbled for a few moments before getting distracted by his escape-attempt prisoner; she had quickly prodded her newly reestablished link with Nightmare to let him know what was going on and he was surprised, but also slightly amused and promised to keep everything under wraps. She'd also asked about the Meeting but he had kept frustratingly silent on the topic, delighting in her irritation until she'd shoved at him several mocking images that made him cough and wheeze and drop the subject.

Soon, the young woman arrived at the front of Clock Tower, admiring the castle-like appearance with fond amusement before knocking politely on the large wooden doors. It was a long few minutes before someone answered.

"Yes?" the smooth voice of Gray asked, a bit harried, as the right door was opened. "If you're here for an audience, I'm afraid we're a bit—"

When the Lizard caught sight of Alice, she couldn't help but smile in amusement at his obvious shock, his jaw hanging just slightly open and eyes darting up and down her form, repeatedly landing on her face.

"Hi," she greeted with a little wave, smile widening when Gray didn't move right away. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I…may be a bit lost. Is this the Clock Tower?"

Gray continued to gape stupidly for a few more moments before he snapped out of it, clearing his throat as a faint red line crossed his nose in embarrassment. "Y-yes, it is," he said in an even tone. Alice patiently waited for a few moments before quirking a brow when Gray didn't go on. His small blush deepened. "Ah, do you…are you a new Roleholder, or…?"

Her smile barely passed into a grin and she clasped her hands behind her back, rocking slightly on her heels. "No, not a Roleholder. I believe I'm called a 'Player' or a 'Foreigner' or an 'Outsider'?" She paused for dramatic affect. "Peter White brought me here three…days, or something, ago."

"I…I see…"

Alice was patient as she waited for Gray to recover, which thankfully happened quickly. "Please, come in," he invited, stepping aside and pulling the door open wider. "My name is Gray Ringmarc. I'll take you to Lord Nightmare and the Clockmaker."

A spring in her step, Alice easily slipped past Gray, her smile brilliant with her excitement. "My name's Alice Liddell," she introduced with a little curtsy and duck of her head. "It's nice to meet you, Gray."

The man took in her curtsy and his hands shook before he clenched them and swallowed roughly, giving a stiff little nod. "Y-you, too, Miss Liddell."

"Just Alice, please." She stifled a snicker at the gleam in Gray's eye; oh, this was too much _fun_! "Guiding me won't take away from any of your duties, will it? I could probably find my way on my own…eventually…"

"Not at all," assured Gray hurriedly, already beginning to lead Alice down the hallway toward Julius' workroom. "I was simply waiting for some…guests, to arrive, when Lord Nightmare told me that there was someone at the door and to take care of it." He frowned suddenly. "I had assumed it was a Faceless asking for repairs or something."

"Nightmare does seem a bit cryptic," Alice said, smiling fondly at the thought of the Caterpillar. "And playful, too. He probably thought it would be funny to catch you off-guard."

Gray looked at her curiously out of the corner of his eye. "You've already met Lord Nightmare?"

"Yes, of course! He's the one who told me to come here, in my dream last night. I sort of assumed he stayed in dreams…but…you make it sound like he lives here?"

"He does," Gray said with a little sigh of fondness that Alice had to strain to hear. It made her giggle silently. "For now, anyway. We normally stay at the Tower of Clover, in the next Country over, but certain…circumstances have led to us being here."

"Oh," was all Alice could say. She wondered if she could get away with giving him a hug without being skewered by accident, but doubted it. Without any history of knowing each other, despite her being "cute" (as he so often had told her in the past), Gray would take it as an attack and stab first then ask questions later—if at all. A pout came to Alice's face at the thought. While she appreciated Gray being able to take care of himself and, if needed, her and others, sometimes his past as an assassin made things difficult.

Soon the two were standing in front of the door to Julius' workroom, Gray taking a moment to knock and waiting for a muffled response before opening it. "Lord Nightmare, your guest."

Alice smiled and nodded in thanks at Gray before slipping into the room, smile widening when she took in the familiar sight of Julius working on his clocks and studiously ignoring everyone else. Nightmare was perched on the corner of the Clockmaker's desk, looking like he'd been nagging about something (probably trying to get Julius to take a break and pet a cat or something), and Alice was pleased to note that he was looking brighter and less tired than normal. Their activities the day before had definitely made things easier for him.

Both men glanced up at the intrusion, although Julius only did so long enough to look over Alice before returning to his job. On the other hand, Nightmare grinned hugely and hopped off the desk with a happily cried, "Alice!" then lunged forward to tackle-hug her.

The young woman sidestepped and watched as Nightmare promptly ran into a wall. She joined Julius in deadpanning. The incubus gave a pathetic little whine. Gray facepalmed.

_I should change your name to Peter if you're going to do that every time I walk into the room,_ she thought, opening her mind so Nightmare could hear. He promptly sat up, rubbing at his nose, and gave her a look of offense.

"You wouldn't dare." Alice smiled and Nightmare paled, losing what small bit of color he had gained. "Oh, god, you _would_."

_Of _course_ I would. If the shoe fits, or in this case the stalker title…_

Nightmare let out a small _hrk_ but managed to stop himself before he degraded into a coughing fit. After taking a moment to make sure he was alright, he climbed to his feet and brushed off his pants, giving an imperious little sniff. "I'm not scared of—" he began before stopping to check himself. Then, slowly, he tried, "I'm not _too_ scared of—" only to stop again.

There was an awkward silence.

"Hey, Julius, meet our new Foreigner!" Nightmare suddenly said with a wide smile, gesturing grandly at Alice. The whole room sweatdropped. "This is Alice Liddell. Alice, this is Julius Monrey, The Clockmaker."

Alice stifled a laugh at her first love's "subtle" attempt to distract and shook her head before turning to Julius with a smile and a curtsey. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Julius," she said automatically. The Mortician "Hn"ed dismissively, but gave a nod anyway before turning back to his work; Alice tried hard not to take offense even though she was used to at least _some_ sort of response beyond generic grunting. Nightmare gave a helpless little shrug, looking slightly lost himself, then waltzed over and tossed an arm over her shoulders with a plastered-on grin.

"Let's leave this stiff to his work, eh, Alice? I can give you a tour!"

"Lord Nightmare, if you have time to play before the others arrive, you have time to do some more paperwork," said Gray, already narrowing his eyes in warning. The dream demon's friendly smile froze in an instant and his destitute expression caused Alice to stifle a little sigh. She opened her mind to him once more: _You had all that time earlier and didn't finish it?_

Nightmare's sheepish smile answered and Alice sighed for real this time with a slow shake of her head. "I'll stay here with Julius," she offered, ignoring Nightmare's pitiful look of "DON'T LEAVE ME PLEASE". "I brought a book with me so I'll be fine."

"Traitor!" shouted Nightmare as Gray smiled his thanks and nodded, already grabbing the collar of Nightmare's jacket. "You're supposed to be helping meee~"

"Well, you should have finished your work," Alice said with a roll of her eyes, watching Nightmare whine and flail almost boredly.

With a final wave from Gray, the door shut loudly, leaving Alice standing in the middle of the room with Julius alternating his stare between her and the door.

"…you seem strangely familiar with the Caterpillar for a Foreigner," Julius eventually noted. A bit surprised, Alice turned to blink at the Clockmaker, whose blue gaze had finally settled upon her.

"Do I?" she muttered despite herself. She knew Julius was more observant than most other Roleholders, but he still wasn't the best at reading people by a long shot; if he was already noticing she wasn't acting "normal"…

Eventually the blonde woman shrugged slightly, moving to sit at the small table on the other end of his room. "I suppose I do," she conceded, then continued with an ironic and slightly bitter smile and tone, "but then again…this _is_ just a dream, isn't it? And if I can't trust those I meet in my dreams, reflections of my mind and true self…who _can_ I trust?"

Julius's gaze sharpened even as Alice felt the words melt to bitter ashes that hung in the air, only the comforting presence of Nightmare's mind still brushing against her own keeping her grounded. It had been many, many Games since she had consciously thought of Wonderland as a dream beyond giving cursory objections to situations or in a fond, this-is-so-wonderful-how-can-it-be-real type of way, and it almost physically pained her to do such now. Even in her original Game, she had barely believed the words when they had repeatedly left her mouth, and now after so many loves and losses and everything that occurred between she was surprised she managed to say it somewhat convincingly.

"A dream?" he muttered to himself, staring at Alice with a deadpan expression even as his eyes gleamed in what was almost disappointment. He turned back to the clock he had been working on and stared at its gears for a few moments. "…think what you will."

The silence that fell was notably colder than any Alice had experienced in Julius' presence for what felt like eons, sending a shiver down her spine. _I deserve it,_ she thought a bit bitterly, pulling from her apron pocket the thin volume she had taken from Joker's bedside before leaving the Circus-Prison earlier that Period, _for playing with his emotions like this…I just hope it turns out better than I fear when he—and everyone else—realize the truth…_

"_I thought you were beyond beating yourself up over things you can't control, Alice,"_ Nightmare's deep voice came floating into her mind with fond exasperation.

_But I _can_ control this,_ returned she in an instant, staring blankly at the first page of her book, _and that's why I'm so upset. I wish I could tell him, tell everyone the truth without sounding like a complete nutcase…_

She could feel his smirk of amusement. _"At least if you were labelled as such, you would be in good company~"_

Unbidden, her lips curled into a small grin. _I suppose I would, considering my loves'…_questionable_ mental states._

"_I consider myself perfectly sane,"_ sniffed Nightmare in what was almost a convincing way if it weren't for the impishness Alice could easily sense from his end of their link.

_The insane never view themselves as anything but,_ she "said" with her grin widening, turning a page just to look like she was actually reading on the off chance Julius was paying attention to her. _But yes, I suppose you are one of the more sane Roleholders__…Lord help us all!_

"_Ah! So mean, my Alice is~"_

Yet despite his pouting words Alice could still feel his amusement and joy at bringing her mind away from its dark turn. She hadn't realized how much she missed this in her other Games, however unconsciously, until it had returned! The connection she shared with Nightmare was once rather frightening to her, but quickly morphed into something she deeply cherished; it was an ability that apparently all incubi could use should they wish, but rarely did, due to the amount of trust that must be shared between he and the one he chose to bond. She still felt honored when she remembered this, and a squeal of delight never failed to leave her when she remembered his shy and hopeful attempts at explaining to her what it was and why he was so willing to choose her to share this close connection with.

'_Why wouldn't I choose you?__'_ he had asked, honestly bewildered, when she questioned why he would use this one-chance ability upon an Outsider he had met so short of a time before. _'I __LOVE you, Alice. I don't know if you realize how amazing this is—an incubus is not meant to love, not this deeply, we're simply not built that way…but _you_. Alice, after centuries of being alive, after so very long Playing the Game, _you_ are the only one who's managed to make me feel this way…'_ By this point his expression was fluctuating wildly between confidently suave and deeply embarrassed on the flick of a dime. _'__It would be a…excuse the pun, but it truly would be a __"__dream come true__"__ if you would take this step with me__…__my dearest Alice.__'_

And really, how could she have disagreed with that?

_You are such a sap,_ she couldn't help but tease as she pulled out of the memory. Nightmare huffed through his poorly masked embarrassment.

"_I am not,"_ he nearly whined. _"__Don't insult my manliness in such a way!"_

Alice couldn't stop herself from giggling aloud, turning another page in her book mechanically. _It's not an insult to your __"__manliness,__"__ Nightmare. Every one of my loves has had a sappy moment or two in my relationships with them—hell, you've been there for many of them!_

A grumble met that statement but before he could retort, Nightmare became preoccupied. When he re-focused on their link, she easily felt his nervous excitement. _"…Alice. __They__'re here."_

All of the ease that had leeched into her form morphed into tenseness, because Alice knew what this meant.

The Roleholders had arrived.

The Meeting was set to begin.

It was time to meet the rest of them once more…and officially begin the first leg of her journey to reunite with her loves.

_**-END-**_

_*Royal Suit dress/costume from Alice: Madness Returns (PS3/Xbox360/PC, 2011), but with a Joker-like golden chain as the apron's wrap and two crossing joker cards as the bow in the back. I didn't describe this in detail because it's not important to the plot in any way, simply an easter egg of sorts :)_

MKL's Post-Production Notes (1-22-14): Yes, the plot is MOVING! A (re-)introduction to the Clover Tower men, a bit of my headcannon for Wonderland and its inhabitants, Joker as a possessive but strangely lenient guy (how long do you guys think THAT will last?), Alice being frustratingly insecure and wishy-washy but at the same time not as badly as before...how fun! I'm still looking for suggestions for future scenes/between-plotpoint ideas, so please, send some in. Someone. Anyone? -pathetic look-

It has been pointed out to me that in the games (the physical games, not the Games, haha), it's never actually stated that Nightmare is an incubus, just a literal "dream demon". I don't speak Japanese so I don't know how true that is-my information comes from the manga, some LPs, a spotty English translator that helped me play parts of the games semi-competently, and a bunch of walkthroughs/summaries...but Nightmare is an incubus in this story. And all my other stories that may or may not make an appearance in the future. Just to let you know :)

Final note for this chapter: I have a DeviantArt, under the name "IsadiahInDisguise", that has two separate HnKnA memes I did for fun. If you want to see bits of my interpretations of certain characters before they appear and-or my personal views/preferences in the series check 'em out! I had lots of fun doing them and hope you'll enjoy~


	5. Interlude, Loyal Lizard's Logic

**The Game of Loops and Love**

Summary: Alice is subjected to the Rule of the Endgame, forced to leave Wonderland if she hasn't bonded enough to the land and its inhabitants, and so makes a desperate wish to not have to leave. There is one Roleholder who can grant this wish, but when The Jabberwocky uses her powers, there's always a catch—and so Alice's love-life spins out of control! Add in timetravel, lost memories to be regained, and an unseen enemy and Alice and her Roleholder lovers are left in a bit of a bind… **King-X-Vivaldi ; Alice!Harem (including all guys from HNKNA/CNKNA/JNKNA except the King)**

Notes: Harem means more than one guy is sexually involved with our gal Alice. Also, in my harem fics (many of which will never see the light of day xD), the guys do end up "helping" each other if Alice isn't available or they're feeling particularly adventurous…just a quick warning for those who have delicate sensibilities~

_Interlude  
__Loyal Lizard's Logic_

Gray Ringmarc was more than used to his employer's antics after so very many Games as allies. Even before that, he knew about Nightmare's fondness for perplexing others for his own amusement, both Roleholders and Players alike—and after having deciding to align with the Caterpillar when seeing how pathetic the man (then a child) truly was so long ago, he'd been subjected to a multitude of manipulations. Sometimes they were harmless, simply ways for Nightmare to get an unscheduled break or just reiterate how "all-powerful" he claimed to be, but other times…

Well, Gray had learned very quickly not to underestimate his employer, no matter how sickly the incubus was.

Except, the ex-assassin noted after dragging Nightmare to his office and away from their new Foreigner, he wasn't acting quite as sickly these last few Time Periods. One morning the Ruler of the Realm of Dreams had simply woken up with more energy than Gray had seen from him in _years_ (which, in Wonderland, was quite a long time) and a grin that even the tallest mountain of forms couldn't seem to wipe off his pale face. It was as perplexing as it was simply **frustrating**!

"I don't know why _you're_ angry," grumbled Nightmare with a scowl even as his one visible eye lazily ran over the next report in his stack of paperwork. "_I'm_ the one who has to _work_ instead of playing with Alice…"

"If you had completed it earlier, you could be doing just that, Lord Nightmare," Gray said, blatantly ignoring the "hint" that his boss was trying to give. "It's already going to pile up during the emergency Meeting you called…"

Signing the paper with a flourish, Nightmare moved on to the next, scowling deeper. "I'm never going to finish!" he whined unrepentantly. "And why should I be punished for doing what my Role demands, huh?! Paperwork coming in during a Meeting about _the state of the Country and the Game_! Bah!" His head 'thunk'ed heavily on the table, glaring at the fine print of his current page. "It's a conspiracy! To _never_ let me get _any_ free time!"

Gray ignored the melodrama other than a slight sigh. "Lord Nightmare, enough with the dramatics. Miss Alice will still be around when you finish this stack and begin your break; you can 'play' with her then."

Nightmare instantly brightened at the thought. "Yeah! She will be, won't she!"

And to his assistant's silent shock, he began to attack his paperwork with gusto, managing to be more efficient than the blue-haired man had ever seen.

_What is it about this girl that has gotten Lord Nightmare so…motivated?_ wondered Gray, carefully shielding his thoughts as he had learned to do so very long before. It was a skill he had fought hard to learn when he first began planning the assassination of the incubus, but frustratingly it was far from foolproof; he was only lucky Nightmare was amused by his attempts instead of offended, mostly because Gray's chosen method of concealment was clogging his thoughts with nonsense images that, more often than not, involved the cats they both favored.

_Three 'days'—six or seven Time Periods, if I remember correctly?—of being in Wonderland, and already she has one of us wrapped around her finger,_ he realized with a jolt of surprise. He was peripherally aware of Nightmare slowing midway through a document with a thoughtful frown but was too wrapped up in his own realizations to be too concerned. If it were something that required his attention, he would be promptly told. _All Foreigners are powerful in their own right and, eventually, take most if not all under their spell…but Lord Nightmare has never been this involved with one so early in the Game—or even at all, more often than not, unless he wants to toy with them._

Gray tapped the desk loudly to get his boss to focus again when the slowing scratch of his pen completely stilled, earning a dour glare even as Nightmare returned to his work. The actions were so routine they didn't break his train of thought in the least. _She gained my attention swiftly, as well, although it is nowhere near 'love' or really anything beyond distant interest yet. True, she is more on the cute side of the spectrum, but that is normally not enough to gain more than my passing interest. It is strange…I feel almost as though…have I _met_ her before? No, it's impossible; the last Foreigner was years ago and at least five years older than this one. But I wonder…_

"Ah—Gray," interrupted Nightmare unintentionally, putting aside his pen and standing with a strange combination of annoyed glare and disgusted grimace on his face, "they're here."

Although curious as to his employer's reaction to whichever Territory's delegation was the first to arrive (he was on relatively good terms with every Roleholder, treating even those he was annoyed by with distant amusement behind his typical overreactions), Gray put aside his own musings and confusion in favor of following his Lord out the door to greet their guests.

The Lizard's final thought on the matter was he would have to watch the bright Foreigner named "Alice" even more closely than he did most, although even he was not quite sure on his exact reasons why.

_**-END-**_

MKL's Post-Production Notes (2-4-14): I wasn't feeling very motivated to write, and wanted to explore an outsider's (er, not Outsider...) perspective on Alice thus far, so this came about. I never withhold chapters, but typically if I get more reviews, I'm more motivated-barring unfortunate things such as computer crashes, which is what happened to "Wrath of Jashin", but I'm trying my best to recover what I can of that and bring myself to rewrite what I can't even though my upset about it is still tainting my views on the story now. No reviews last chapter means short interlude that took over two weeks to write.

Nothing of import to say, otherwise. Last chapters' notes still apply! Until next time~ Bye-bye~!


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